Locals gather for prayer at Copperas Cove Police Department

By LYNETTE SOWELL

Cove Leader-Press

In the wake of last week's shooting deaths of five Dallas police officers with 12 more officers wounded, about 20 residents from several local churches gathered for prayer at the Copperas Cove Police Department early Monday morning.

They met not only to pray, but to show support for local law enforcement. Russ Cochran, lead pastor of Refuge Ministries, gave an opening prayer, then called on others to pray as they felt led.

Several in the circle prayed for healing, peace and comfort for those affected by the shootings, for the officers' families. They also prayed for salvation, unity and repentance as a nation. Cochran closed in prayer, asking for protection for Copperas Cove's police officers.

“We are blessed with officers here in our town who coach little league sports, who go to churches, who are involved in the community in a lot of different ways other than their job,” he prayed. “We know our police officers in our town could go to other towns to make more money, but we are thankful for their service to our community. We pray that you will continue to give them wisdom and guidance.”

Cochran also prayed for President Obama, for wisdom and guidance for him as he meets with families of the victims, and he prayed for other cities like Atlanta, New York, and Baton Rouge. Prayers were made “for the felons, that you would help them to rehabilitate and come to you.”

He prayed that when people are confronted by police officers, whether in a positive or negative situation, that it would always turn into a positive situation. He referred to a verse in 1 Samuel 16, where it says that man judges by the outward appearance, bug God looks at the heart.

“I pray that we as Americans would look at people's hearts rather than economic or social status, or ethnicity,” Cochran prayed. “Let us see hearts rather than the outward appearance.”

Several Copperas Cove officers attended the meeting, including interim police chief Eddie Wilson, some of them wearing yellow ribbons on their wrists.